Silicon manufacturing is a complex and intricate process, where each step has to be performed with extreme precision to prevent wafer damage and ensure satisfying yield rates in the final product. Among them, dicing is the final part of the manufacturing journey where the substrate is cut into individual dies or chips. While it may sound simple, various things must be ensured during this process.
In modern semiconductor manufacturing, dicing is the process of cutting a fabricated silicon wafer into individual dies (or chips)—each of which becomes a standalone integrated circuit (IC). These individual units are then separated for packaging and testing.
There are three main types of dicing techniques:
Dicing may seem like a simple and straightforward step, but it’s not. The cut must be clean and accurate to avoid damaging the die. Poor dicing can reduce yield due to cracked or contaminated dies. Moreover, as chips shrink, cutting kerfs (gap between dies) must also shrink, increasing demands on dicing accuracy.
When different materials are utilized, dicing parameters must also be adapted, be it to Si, GaN, SiC, or stacked wafers, for example.
As technology has developed, the materials used to produce semiconductors have grown more complex, requiring newer and more effective dicing methods. Moreover, with the advent of sophisticated materials like compound semiconductors, sapphire, and silicon carbide, conventional techniques that were effective with simple silicon wafers now face difficulties.
At Wafer World, we constantly add new materials and techniques to our repertoire. If you’d like to know whether we have what you need for your project, reach out!
